


Dweller on the Plain

by Ismaire



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Alcohol, Angst, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Hurt/Comfort, Marijuana, Overall cattiness, Pettiness, Porn With Plot, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-11
Updated: 2019-04-17
Packaged: 2019-07-29 10:49:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16262669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ismaire/pseuds/Ismaire
Summary: When Blaire’s life seems to be crashing down on top of her, she begrudgingly decides to inherit a farm left behind for her in her grandfather’s will.What she doesn’t realize is that this farm keeps more secrets beneath the weathered wood and peeling wallpaper, and this city is too small to ignore anyone in.nouveau, adj.: French word for new.





	1. I. Nouveau

**Author's Note:**

> This game is wildly addicting, it's like crack in all honesty.
> 
> Regardless, however, I've been wanting to write this, and I have been! ...On a Google Doc, so I could eventually upload it. The tags pretty much explain 80% of this, but I do want to make it clear that I will be following the exact same calendar that Stardew Valley has, with Spring through Winter having 28 days. And I also will be following the growth of the plants, as parsnips in real life take around 120-180 days, which is roughly half a year. Miss me with that, I'd rather follow the mechanics of the game (that don't really translate well on paper but...) and not have little miss Blaire die of exhaustion over some tubers.
> 
> Also, everyone has a fucking last name because it bugs me that no one except for the Mullners have one.

**DAY ??? OF ???.**   


Gross.   
  
It was one thing to be fed up with your job and quit on the spot, which she’d thought of before actually. But only if she was guaranteed another one, because only losers were unemployed. But it was another to be terminated from your job due to “slacking in work performance,” or something like that. She was too much in shock from the actual termination that she didn’t really remember why they decided to fire her. It was too embarrassing to let everyone else know about, in this city that was basically social suicide. Thank god she didn’t interact with anyone here outside of work. And even then, they didn’t know, she kept it discreet. Only her stupid boss was aware of the fact.    
  
She picked up the box that contained all of her personal items—she was very materialistic as one would expect—and was about done with packing her things before she saw a drawer that hadn’t been looked at yet. She supposed it couldn’t hurt to look. And it didn’t.    
  
Inside the drawer was the letter her grandfather gave her about three years ago, telling her never to open it unless she found herself stressed and overwhelmed with the modern life. She at first took the letter and doubted she’d even think about it, much less actually open it.    
  
But now she was thinking otherwise.    
  
Granted, Blaire hated her job. She was an office worker for one, so that was already completely lame and disengaging. Her job was the reason she didn’t believe in college, as being tech support for JojaMart didn’t pay as much as they made it out to be, and on top of that, landed her into student debt loans. But she hardly held any interest in being a customer service representative, she only took the job because tech support was something she was actually good at, and because it paid well enough to where she could afford a studio in the city.    
  
But now that she was fired, she had to take a different route in life. And she was not going to be flipping burgers, or working retail. And while she was definitely too good for those, and she had nonexistent farming experience, the farm her grandfather loved so much sounded so.. tempting. So nice. Maybe she could learn the ropes, and get away from the city for awhile. Or forever. As much as she loved the City of Angels, maybe it was time for a fresh start. A new beginning. What was the name of Grandpapa’s farm, it was their family name right? She found herself already sitting down, and carefully peeling off the three year old mailing seal from the paper. It was of a rose, Grandpapa’s favorite flower. She made sure she kept it safe, even if she never saw herself actually going to, what was it? Blackthorne Farm..? That sounded right. She’d been to it once years ago, when she was a child. She didn’t remember much, and she probably only wanted to go home for she was not used to the wilderness like she was used to the city. She began to read the whole thing.   
  
“Dear Blaire,   
  
If you're reading this, you must be in dire need of a change.   
  
The same thing happened to me, long ago. I'd lost sight of what mattered most in life... real connections with other people and nature. So I dropped everything and moved to the place I truly belong.   
  
I’ve enclosed the deed to that place... my pride and joy: Blackthorne Farm. It’s located in Stardew Valley, on the southern coast. It’s the perfect place to start your new life.    
  
This was my most precious gift of all, and now it’s yours. I know you’ll honor the family name, my girl. Good luck.   
  
Love, Grandpapa.   
  
P.S. If Lewis is still alive say hi to the old guy for me, will ya?”   
  
Blaire sighed heavily after reading Grandpapa’s letter. To go, or not to go, was a conflicting answer indeed. She put her head on what was once her desk, conflicted with feelings of staying in her hometown, or starting completely anew in this new place called Stardew Valley. She’d only heard about it because of Grandpapa, otherwise she wouldn’t have a clue on what it was, most likely due to her apparent airhead-like personality and just general factor of never really leaving the city. But regardless.. Grandpapa entrusted her with the letter and his will to his most precious gift—Blackthorne Farm. She sighed loudly again. Grandpapa was born on a farm, he had already been used to it before he bought Blackthorne’s property. She.. she’d only visited. Being on the farm, though? And actually working? And getting sweaty and dirty and nasty? That wasn’t her league at all. She was used to being able to go to the mall, shop for the latest trends, then afterwards go do her hair and nails at a salon. Those didn’t exist in small towns like this, they just... didn’t.    
  
It was either stay and look for another job in less than a month, or move to Stardew Valley to start a new life.   
  
Looking inside the envelope, there was the will to the house, but there was also a photograph that had been sealed within it. It was of Grandpapa and herself when she was younger, in front of a beautiful house with vibrant vegetables and fruits and overall plants growing behind them. It was a really pretty image, even for the time period. Little Blaire looked so happy to be in her Grandpapa’s arms at his farm. She even remembered that whenever she’d visit for the summer, she’d play with the one village boy who had lived there his entire life. He was sweet, and kind. It was such a shame she didn’t really remembered what he looked like, or what his name was. But maybe.. it was a sign. A sign to leave the city, and start anew someplace else. Who knows, maybe the people there would be kinder, a little less judgmental, and maybe just what she needed to be happier. Because looking at her situation now, she wasn’t happy tending to other people’s tech issues. That photograph was all she needed to at least give the farm an attempt, she would hate to sell Grandpapa Blackthorne’s most precious belonging.    
  
Even she wasn’t superficial enough to do that to him.   
  


* * *

**DAY 1 OF SPRING.**   
  
She packed everything she could fit into her Toyonda truck, and she had sold what she didn’t need the previous week when she was doing all her legal paperwork to finally move out of the city, and to make sure it was the name Blaire Blackthorne under the property of her new farm. Luckily, her lease was ending anyway, so paying off what was left wasn’t so taxing, thank God. She needed all the money she could get for the trip. Gas money, food, and of course seeds. A farm meant growing shit, right? As well as raising stinky animals? If there was one thing Blaire was not looking forward to it was tending to animals. But she needed to get milk and eggs somehow without relying on everyone else. This wasn’t the fucking 1800s where you could ask your neighbor for a few eggs or a cup of sugar. Hell, her neighbors were going to be cows and chickens for crying aloud.   
  
Blaire looked at her tightly packed suitcase, and then her closet. Since she was going to be living on a farm for now, she figured she should not take her heels and expensive dresses. What was the point? They were going to get ruined regardless. She sold a few, but kept some in a box to be shipped to her friend who lived in the city. She wasn’t going to get rid of everything, just what she really didn’t mind parting with. She decided that even though she didn’t need them, to keep two with her just in case of special events.   
  
In her defense, at least she wasn’t bringing makeup. There was also no point to bringing cosmetics that you will sweat out regardless.    
  
She looked at her apartment again, seeing it be completely empty and white walled without posters and pictures. It felt weird, but, she supposed moving into a goddamn twenty year old farmhouse would feel weirder.    
  
Once she was done with sorting out her clothes, she tightly packed up her suitcase and boxes, leaving the boxes in her mailbox for them to be delivered. The stamps had been paid for and stuck on already. Her suitcase went into the back of her truck, which had her mattress, and other suitcases. She didn’t take any furniture, according to Grandpapa, there would be plenty already there, and plenty more she could buy.   
  
And thus, with one last goodbye to her hometown, Blaire started up get truck and followed the day-long path to Blackthorne Farm. Traffic wasn’t horrendous for the most part, and there were plenty of places to rest and dine at on the way, so the drive there wasn’t too exhausting.   
  
She made it there on a Monday in Spring, the first day to be exact. Blaire temporarily parked against the curb of the bus station, as there was plenty of space for the truck, and turned off the ignition. Besides, she couldn’t imagine a lot of people stopping by Stardew Valley for a tour of it. Spring had just began, the faint smell of cherry blossoms greeted her when she stepped out of her car. And when she stepped out, there had already been someone waiting for her there, a ginger-haired lady who wore a mustard yellow sweater that complimented her slightly freckled skin, a yellow cardigan, green work pants, and brown boots caked in fine sawdust. “Hello, you must be Blaire Blackthorne.” She nodded dumbly. This woman was so lively and kind, and her entire person glowed. Her ginger hair was tired back in a bun on her head, with a few strands having been loose to accent her radiant complexion. She was very pretty, and seemingly kind as well, as she gave her a welcoming hug.    
  
“It’s so nice to meet you! I’m Robin Moore, the local carpenter. Major Lewis sent me here to fetch you and show you the way to your new home. He’s there right now, tidying things up for your arrival.” Robin motioned her over, beckoning her to follow. “The farm’s right over here, if you’ll follow me.” They walked down the sandy path from where she parked her truck, and Blaire could smell cherry blossoms.    
  
But the smell completely fooled her, as once she made it to the front of the house to see what Blackthorne Farm looked like her jaw dropped. “This is Blackthorne Farm.” Quickly, the raven-haired girl scrambled for the photo from twenty years ago and held it up in front of her face to cover the farm and compare the two. The photograph’s farm was pristine, well-cared for and loved and looked after. This farm was... unruly, overgrown, had random stones and logs and fallen trees lying everywhere. The grass nearly reached up to her knees, for crying out loud!   
  
“What’s the matter?” What was the matter? Her new farm was in absolute shambles, that’s what!   
  
“The farm, it’s, it’s..” Hideous? Overgrown? Marred? Other synonyms that were apt to describe this mess?   
  
“Sure, it’s a bit overgrown, but there’s some good soil underneath that mess! With a little dedication you’ll have it cleaned up in no time.” This farm is going to need more than dedication, Blaire thought. Robin motioned her to the old cabin, walking up the steps of her porch.    
  
“... And here we are, your new home.” It was definitely very... country-like. It looked old and the wood creaked. And suddenly an old man came out of the door, spooking Blaire so badly she had to take a step back. He wasn’t fazed at all however, he simply smiled. He wore a brown cap, a green button-up shirt with a yellow tie, brown suspenders, and brown pants. He had a full set of gray hair beneath the cap, as well as a furry gray mustache.    
  
“Ah, the new farmer!” Eugh, that was something she had to get used to. That’s how she used to make fun of people from the countryside. He walked down the steps and in front of them, still with the soft smile. At least he was seemingly friendly, maybe karma wouldn’t bite her in the ass for insulting honest working farmers.   
  
“Welcome! I’m Lewis Clarke, Major of Pelican Town. You know, everyone’s been asking about you.” Why? She wasn’t exactly a big deal here. That’s why she didn’t like small towns, everyone knew everyone’s business. “It’s not every day that someone new moves in. It’s quite a big deal!” It didn’t need to be!   
  
Lewis then gazed over to the cabin, a nostalgic, perhaps even slightly solemn, look on his old features. “So... you’re moving into your grandfather’s old cottage. It’s a good house, very rustic.”   
  
Suddenly Robin snorted behind him, clearly amused. “Rustic? That’s one way to put it... ‘Crusty’ might he a little more apt, though.” Blaire’s head immediately swiveled to look at the ginger. She could not believe she was talking shit about her new house right in front of her!   
  
Lewis wasn’t amused, either, giving her a dirty glare while shouting, “Rude!” He wasn’t wrong, she had just disrespected her grandpapa’s house!   
  
“Don’t listen to her, Blaire. She’s just trying to make you dissatisfied so that you buy one of her house upgrades.”   
  
Robin glared back, crossing her arms and muttering, “hmmph,” under her breath.    
  
Rolling his eyes, Lewis focused his attention on Blaire once more. “Anyway... You must be tired from the long journey. You should get some rest. Tomorrow however, you ought to explore the town a bit and introduce yourself. The townspeople would appreciate that.” He walked off towards a brown box that sat to the right of her new home.    
  
“Oh, I almost forgot. If you have anything to sell, just place it in this box here. I’ll come by during the night to collect it. Well... Good luck! Oh, and before I forget another thing again...” He rummaged in his pockets, before pulling out a crisp, white envelope for her.   
  
“That’s 500 gold to get you started, Blaire, consider it a gift from me! I’ll show you around of course, but don’t be afraid to ask the other residents for help as well!”   
  
Robin nodded. “Of course, don’t be afraid to ask me for assistance, either! I live just up the path over yonder,” she replied, pointing to a path that lead up north. “You can’t miss it, dear. After you get through the path above the bus station, I’m the first house you see. Of course, you’ll have to deal with my family, but I’m sure they’ll all welcome you!”   
  
Lewis snickered. “Maru and Demetrius, sure. I’m not so sure about your son, though.”   
  
The ginger sighed. “Ah, yes. Sebastian. Don’t mind him, he’s my oldest son and he’s a little... misunderstood. But you shouldn’t have any bad encounters with him, he just stays in his room all day.”   
  
“He sounds... pleasant,” Blaire hesitantly replied. “I’ll do my best to be friendly, but...”   
  
“This is a small town, lass. Everyone knows everyone. You’ll make friends, I’m sure,” the mayor reassured her. “There’s no need to worry. There are plenty of people your age to converse with, I promise.” Truthfully that wasn’t quite what she was worried about, but she figured that was one less thing to have in her mind.   
  
“Well, I must get going. The job of a mayor is never finished!” And with that, he bid her farewell and walked off the farm past the bus station. Robin also began walking, but she made clear a few things first.    
  
“It’s a real pleasure to have met you, Blaire! I knew you were a female, but gosh, you’re so pretty I wasn’t expecting it! Don’t be too surprised if you get hit on by some of our men here!” The carpenter joked. “How old are you again, hun?”   
  
“Oh, um, I’m 23.”   
  
“God, you kids make me feel so old. But that’s good to know, you’re actually just a year younger than my oldest, Sebastian. I promise he’s a good kid, he just takes some.. getting used to. Maru however, she’ll more than likely be your best friend, she’s an absolute sweetheart. As is my husband, Demetrius. If you ever need anything, Blaire, you’re more than welcome in our house, you hear?” She nodded in understanding. “And if you ever need a family, we’re just a ways up the mountain.”   
  
“Thank you so much, Robin. I really do appreciate it, and I hope I’ll get along with your family as well.”   
  
“No problem, dear. I gotta get going myself, though. The bills don’t pay themselves! I’ll see you around, Blaire!” And with that, she walked off as well, soon disappearing beyond the bus stop and into town. She’d go into town herself, but she had a lot of unpacking to do. Luckily for her, it looked like her truck would be able to fit in the back of her cottage! So that’s what she did, she started up her truck from having it parked near the bus station and drove it behind her cottage, parallel parking it to the porch.    
  
Once she had parked her truck, she walked up the porch steps, hearing the creaky wood and growing slightly nervous. But she figured that once she made enough money she’d be able to upgrade the house and make it better, look prettier.   
  
The first thing to do however, was to go inside. Upon entering, there was at least a working light switch that she flipped on. The cottage was as small as it was on the outside as it was on the inside, holding only a single room with a bathroom in the corner. Inside the room was a neatly-made bed, a table and chair, and surprisingly enough, a television set. She figured that there wouldn’t be a lot of channels to choose from. Grandpapa had an antenna set up on the roof of the roof of the cottage, she figured that the TV set couldn’t be totally obsolete. Out of curiosity, she turned on the system. There were three channels to choose from, a weather forecast channel, a fortune teller channel, and a channel called Living Off The Land.   
  
Thank Yoba, because she didn’t have the slightest clue on how to life off of the land she had just inherited and decided to move into after losing her job. Granted, said job made her super miserable anyway, and maybe she’d be happier out here in the valley. But good lord, she was still clueless! She grew up in the city, she didn’t even know what an actual hoe was until it was actually pointed out to her one day. That alone should have proved how uneducated she was when it came to this. Luckily, she did pack a notebook with her, so once she grabbed her backpack she was able to take it out and take notes on the show in front of her.   
  
“Welcome to another episode of Livin’ off the Land!” Spoke an old man wearing a brown cap. “This one’s for all you greenhorns out there: chop wood and search for wild forage to earn some cash while waiting on your first harvest!”   
  
The raven fervently took notes, but with what tools was she going to cut down a tree with? Did Lewis or Grandpapa leave anything for her to use? Once the program ended, she looked around the small cottage, and noticed a white box sitting on top of her worn table. How did she miss it when walking inside? Disregarding her unreliable peripherals, she turned the TV off and walked up towards the table, opening the box. Inside were a plethora of tools, and some seeds, along with a note.   
  
“Here are 15 seeds to get you started with, new farmer! Signed, Lewis,” she read aloud. Looking at the bag, they looked like parsnip seeds. Parsnips were actually really good, especially in hazelnut soup. But she figured she needed to sell these instead, as she did need to make money at the end of the day. Setting the seeds aside, she looked at her new tools. Though somewhat worn, they looked well taken care of, and still useable. There was a watering can, a scythe, a hoe, an axe, and a pickaxe. Was there any place to even use the pickaxe in? She didn’t believe there were mines out here. But judging from the amount of rock she had to clear out, there was definitely a need for it. Great.   
  
She’d get the hang of this, right?   
  


* * *

  
She hated being a farmer already.  
  
First, she hoed a clear patch of land, three feet by fifteen feet, roughly. But she had to dig out the clay residue that was built up underneath the soil. Doing that with her bare hands was absolutely disgusting, wet clay was not fun to work with. It smelled like dog shit and felt like cold dog shit as well. So she just set the damn thing aside, and washed her hands in the pond outside her house. It wasn’t terribly hot, but she wished she had a sunhat to keep the rays from her eyes. Maybe she should have packed one, but she didn’t think there was a beach around for her to fish from. I mean, what countryside had a beach to it? She didn’t see any body of water that wasn’t the lake when she was driving up here, anyway.   
  
Her back was in pain as she hoed the soil to plant the seeds. Which by the way, according to the instructions on the packet she was given, had to be buried around four feet deep. Stupid parsnips. Once she hoed the land and planted her seeds, as well as watered them, she felt like collapsing. How was she supposed to do this everyday if it was this grueling on her fragile body already? The only good thing that would come out of this would be that she’d absolutely never grow fat, she had already sweated through her pink shirt. Though she could live without the dirt and dust on her face, she was horrified when she took a shower and the water that ran off of her body was brown. Even back home when she came home after a long day, she was never this dirty. Or sweaty, her shirt was so soaked with her sweat that she had to change into a new outfit.  
  
Not fun.  
  
The worst part was that it was only two in the evening. What felt like an arduous several hours had only been three in total. She still had time to go outside and meet some people, despite every muscle in her body screaming. Once she rested for a half hour, she got back up, and decided to get up to meet everyone. The town was east of her farm, right? Past the bus stop? That seemed to be correct, as when she walked and the trees cleared out of the way, there was a town waiting for her. There was a clinic, a general wares store, some houses, and a saloon from what was in her immediate vision. From the store apparently called Pierre’s came out a young man, who was probably around her age, with wild blonde hair and a baggy neon blue jacket. He was the first to greet her.  
  
“Hey. I’m Sam McCall. Good to meet you, farmer!” He offered his hand out to her, so she just shook it to be polite.  
  
“Hello, Sam. I’m Blaire.” He nodded, giving a smile.  
  
“Alright, Blaire. Well.. see you around, yeah?” She nodded in response, and the two parted ways. The next person to come out of Pierre’s was a girl with braided, ginger hair, and green clothes that revealed her midriff. She noticed that her pants has some paint splatters on them, was she an artist maybe?   
  
“Hello, it’s nice to meet you,” she greeted her before she had the chance to say hello. “I’m Leah Bennett. You’re the new farmer that moved in, right?”  
  
“Ah, yeah, that’s me. It’s nice to meet you as well, Leah. I’m Blaire,” she responded.   
  
“Glad I got to meet ya! See you later, okay?” She waved at her before walking away. She seemed friendly enough, so far. The entire town, from just the four people she meet so far seemed very friendly. Unlike her hometown.  
  
She walked into Pierre’s however, curious to see what the establishment was like, and what she could buy. A man with glasses and slicked back brown hair greeted her immediately as she walked through the door, wiping his hands on his apron. It looked like he was shelving items, as there were plenty of aisles in the store.  
  
“Hey, it’s Ms. Blaire, the new farmer! I’m Pierre Williams, owner of the local general store.” He showed her the small establishment. It was very homey-like, inviting, and well-taken care of. “If you’re looking for seeds, my shop is the place to go.” When she inspected the shelves more carefully, there were typical items like groceries - sugar, oil, flour, the works. But there were quite a variety of seeds as well, taking up an entire side of an aisle. There were parsnips seeds, like the ones she had planted earlier, but there were also cauliflower, kale, coffee beans, garlic, green beans, and tulips from what she could see from where she stood.  
  
“This is where I stock all of my seeds, it changes with the seasons as different crops grow in different seasons. Don’t worry, all of my seeds are ideal for spring,” Pierre explained, pointing to the many shelves of seeds. “I’ll also buy produce from you for a good price!” That was useful to know, since it seemed like Lewis would leave her money to wake up to in the morning. Maybe sometimes she’d need some cash.  
  
“Thank you, Mr. Williams,” the raven said, giving a nod. “I’ll be sure to only sell you my finest produce.” The man gave her a grin, before pointing to a door at the back of the store. “My wife and daughter should be back there, if you’d like to introduce yourselves to them!” Well, he basically said it was okay to go back there, right? But it looked like she didn’t need to, as a woman with a blue blouse and green hair emerged from it, giving Blaire a smile.  
  
“Hello! You must be Blaire, the new farmer. I’m Caroline.” She walked up to her husband’s side, his arm wrapping around her waist as he planted a kiss on her cheek. “I’m sure you know by now, but my husband here runs the general store. And have you met my daughter, Abigail? She’s the pale one with purple hair.”  
  
“Isn’t she in her room, dear?”  
  
“Probably, yes. Abigail! We have company!” Caroline called out behind her.   
  
“I’m doing homework mom, I can’t!” Echoed out a shout from the other room.  
  
The green-haired woman sighed. “I know she’s not doing her homework either, she’s probably playing video games again.”  
  
“That’s alright, Mrs. Williams. I’m sure I’ll see her around, it’s not like I’ll be leaving anytime soon,” Blaire said sheepishly. Going back home would be social suicide anyway, and that was out of the question, without a doubt.  
  
“I’m so glad you understand, Blaire was it? Sometimes I just do not know what to do with my Abby. How old are you? You two must be around the same age, right?”  
  
“I’m 23, will be turning 24 in winter.”  
  
“Oh, my, I thought you were much younger with how youthful your face is,” Caroline said, clearly surprised at the other’s age. “My little Abby is only 18, that’s why I thought you must have been around the same age, I apologize Blaire.”  
  
She gave a lighthearted chuckle, “no, it’s alright. I consider it a compliment, lots of people get my age wrong. It was nice meeting you both, Mr. and Mrs. Williams.”  
  
“Please, Blaire, just call us Pierre and Caroline,” he chimed in. “We haven’t been called Mr. and Mrs. since Abby was in middle school. But you go ahead and attend to whatever business you need to. Just know you’re more than welcome here for any supplies you may need!”  
  
“I’ll be sure to keep those in mind. Thank you, I’m certain I’ll stop by soon,” she replied, before leaving the store and walking to find someone else to introduce herself to. In the distance she saw a boy throwing around a gridball by himself, but he seemed to be enjoying himself. When she got closer, she’d notice that he was.. Very tall. Blaire wasn’t necessarily _short_ , she was 5’5” even, but she felt small compared to a tall, muscular man.  
  
He was the first to greet her, thank god. “Hey, you’re the new girl, huh? I think we’re going to get along great. I’m Alex Mullner.”  
  
“I’m Blaire Blackthorne. Pleased to meet you.”  
  
“Oh, so you own that farm west of here, huh?” She nodded at this.  
  
“That’s cool. Well, I’ll see you around.” At that point, he retreated off into the town, someplace that wasn’t next to what was presumably his house. Before she knocked on the door, someone with a blue jacket and a shaved haircut walked past her.  
  
“Oh, hello there. I’m Bla-”  
  
“I don’t know you. Why are you talking to me?” She had to blink a few times to register what had just happened, taken aback by the sudden rudeness.  
  
“Well, I just moved here. I thought I’d be friendly and introduce myself.”  
  
“Well, don’t. I’m busy anyway, so don’t talk to me.” With that, the stranger left, leaving Blaire stunned and confused. She thought she was being friendly enough, but maybe he was just having a bad day? Or.. maybe he just wasn’t very friendly to begin with. She figured that not everyone could be all rainbows and sunshine, even in a small little countryside like Pelican Town. Hell, her hometown was known for its surfers out on the sun that shone 365 days a year, and lord knew just how rude people were there. Blaire was kind of a prime example herself. But Yoba, she sure was absolutely exhausted, she had drained the last of her energy and needed to take the longest nap in human history. And it was only seven in the evening! She had quite enough of introducing herself to random strangers who all somehow knew her and already had judged her just because of that.  
  
Was she being dramatic? Absolutely. But she was tired, exhausted, overwhelmed, and frankly, just  _wanted_ to go home and sleep the rest of this grueling day away. Sleeping was only easy because of how arduous this day had been, and the crushing weight that this was only the  _first fucking day_.


	2. II. Déjà-vu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blaire finds herself experiencing some déjà-vu.
> 
> déjà-vu, n.: French term for describing the feeling one has lived through a present situation before.

**DAY 2 O** **F** **SPRING.**  
  
  
Though she cried herself to sleep that night, she'd quickly get over herself and wake up in the morning. At least there was no stereotypical rooster to wake her up at some damnable hour of dawn. Just the relaxing sound of the birds tweeting their morning songs for everyone to hear. Today was a new day, and though the muscles in her body ached somewhat from the new labor they were introduced to yesterday, she wouldn't let that stop her. Not today, at least. She couldn't give up before she even really started, and plus, she didn't really have anywhere to go besides her farm. Her dad did offer to let Blaire stay with him until she got back on his feet, but she was 23. She was way too old to continue living with her parents, and she would not do that to her father anyway. She was supposed to be taking care of him, not the other way around at her age.  
  
With a yawn, she sits up on her bed, stretching her body up towards the ceiling. She peers at the clock, and it is currently 7 o'clock in the morning. A semi-reasonable time for the valley girl, she usually woke up a lot later, especially since her past job wasn't demanding at all. However, this new one was. It most definitely was, and required most of her energy. Rubbing her eyes, Blaire gets up and strips of her clothes, which happened to be the ones she was wearing yesterday, she hadn't bothered to change into something more comfortable like sweatpants or pajama pants. Even sleeping naked sounded a lot more ideal than her work pants. She decides to take a quick shower to wake her up, turning on her television while the lukewarm water ran over her body and suds washed away into the drain. Living Off The Land wasn't on, today, so she would stick with what she knew and chop down some wood to earn some more money. Yesterday was a total flop, and she still needed money to actually buy food, since her house didn't have a kitchen.  
  
Blaire sighs, drying off her hair while deciding what to wear. She got most of her clothes from a thrift store, as she refused to ruin her good ones on a farm, so they were kind of plain to the normal person, and hideous to Blaire herself. She opted to wear a red flannel with a white tank top underneath it, and a pair of high-waisted black skinny jeans. As the raven looked at herself in the mirror, she gave a sigh. In the city, she always wore a nice blouse with ripped blue jeans and a nice pair of shoes, and of course, makeup to enhance her features. Blaire wore nothing, because it was pointless for the work that she was going to be doing, she didn't even wear any mascara or brow filler. This Blaire was incredibly plain and last-season in comparison to City Blaire, and it was slightly depressing that this was her only really viable option.  
  
After throwing some socks and boots on, she goes outside, noticing that her parsnips had sprouted, which made her happy, because finally! Something she was doing right! She grabbed her watering can that she left on the porch of her house, filling it up with water by the pond, and watering her sprouts one by one. Watering was much less taxing than actually physically hoeing the land, so once her crops were watered, she smiled as she looked over them. The dark, soft soil made her happy to see, and so did the green saplings of her parsnips. But her work was far from over, and she knew that she told herself she'd try to chop at least one tree. Grabbing the axe she also left on the porch, she walked towards the closest tree.The axe was heavy and hard to correctly using between Blaire's dainty hands, and she ended up swinging and hitting the dirt instead, multiple times.  
  
"You know, Blaire, it helps if you hold your hands spread out instead of so closely together," came a familiar voice, with the raven looking up to see who it was. It was Robin, grinning at her from a distance. "Are you trying to get some wood?"  
  
Blaire sighed, dropping the axe that landed in the dirt with a dull thud. "I'm really not cut out for this kind of work, Robin. I can't even hold the axe correctly, and I'm basically dressed like a lumberjack!"  
  
The ginger woman gave a laugh, approaching the troubled farmer and giving a pat on her back. "Come on, I'll show you how to cut a tree. No baby is born a lumberjack either, I have no doubt you'll get used to it after a season." She picked up the axe that Blaire dropped, looking at the thing with disgust.  
  
"By Yoba, this thing is old, and nearly too dull to be used," she grimaced. "It'll work for now, Blaire, but I highly recommend taking this to Clint when you have the funds or copper for it. Even a copper axe will do you wonders than this old thing." Regardless, Robin held it, and began chopping away at the tree like it was nothing. Then again, she was a carpenter, it did make sense that she knew how to chop down a tree. But it left Blaire awestruck regardless. The tree eventually fell over on the opposite end of them, with Robin looking proudly at her work.  
  
"The trick is to hold it like a baseball bat, so it's not unbalanced and ruining your point of strike. See, like this," she demonstrated, holding the tool and simulating the same swinging motion she did earlier. "And cutting down a tree is less about strength and more about momentum. A tight grip and firm stance is what is key to this, you see, Blaire. The momentum is what gives your strength, essentially, so be sure to swing towards the same spot of the tree as fast as you can, not as hard. You'll wear yourself out easily."  
  
Blaire nodded, taking the axe back. "Thank you, Robin.. Now how do I cut it up into logs?"  
  
"That's the easy part, just cut the tree up into big chunks, and then cut those big chunks into fourths. There are your logs. It's easier to do those because you're swinging from above instead of from the side. Anything else you need help with, dear?"  
  
She thought about it for a moment. "Pfft, only if you could build a kitchen in my small, shitty little house," she joked around.  
  
"Blaire, honey. I'm a carpenter. I built my house from the ground up, and our kitchen is quite amazing if I do say so myself. Just save up some gold and materials, and I'll gladly help you build a more viable house," she said with a soft smile. "Would you like to join my family for breakfast? My husband decided to wake up early and make breakfast, and we'd love to have you. You could actually meet my daughter and son, too!"  
  
Speaking of food brought to attention just  _how_ hungry Blaire was. She didn't eat anything yesterday, and surely nothing from this morning. So it finally struck her, and she nodded. Any food would have been appreciated.  
  
"Alright, Blaire, let's get going then! I don't live very far from here, you know."  
  
"Up the mountain path, right?" It was mostly a rhetoric question, Blaire remembered Robin saying something about how she lived quite close to her, and that she could come over any time she needed help with settling into her new life. The two began to walk up the sandy, spring path of the mountain, and when they reached the clearing, she would see the roof of her two story house. There was a lot of love put into the construction of it, Blaire could tell, and it was one of Robin's most prized things in this world.   
  
"There's my house, Blaire! I'll lead you inside," Robin replied, opening the birch door and allowing the black-haired farmer to make her way inside. She noticed a mat for leaving behind their shoes, so she gingerly removed her work boots and set them neatly aside. Robin did the same, closing the door and hanging up her coat.  
  
"The kitchen is just down this hallway to your left at the end, feel free to sit down while I do a few things," the carpenter replied, with Blaire nodding and making her way to the dining room. Though she hadn't quite noticed her steps, as she made her way towards the dining room and accidentally bumped into someone. It was a tall boy, head somewhat covered with a towel as he had been drying it, decked with a loose black shirt and basketball shorts.   
  
"Geez, Maru, watch where the hell you're going," the boy cursed, removing his towel to presumably glare at Maru, only to find someone else. That wasn't Maru, or Robin, or Robin's husband.  
  
"Er.. Sorry," he mumbled, putting the towel over his neck as he looked down, anywhere but at her face. Not that she blamed him, she was a stranger in his house, who bumped into him.  
  
"No, I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention to where I was looking," she reassured him, or at least attempted to. Her snarky tongue wanted to tell him not to dry his purple hair while walking down the hallway. "I'm Blaire, by the way."  
  
His violet gaze shifts towards her, briefly making eye contact before looking away again. "Right, mom mentioned you a couple of times. I'm Sebastian." So that was the infamous, 'misunderstood' Sebastian that Lewis and Robin had talked about on her first day. She gave a soft smile at this, though it quickly left when he went downstairs.  
  
"Wait," she blurted out before she could stop herself from trying to tell him where and where not to go  _in his own house_. "Aren't you going to eat breakfast with us?" He laughed almost immediately when she asked the question, though stopped abruptly when he turned to look at her, purple brows furrowed down his forehead and lips pursed into a thin scowl.  
  
"With Demetrius and Maru? Fuck no, I don't need to hear them praising each other every five seconds while anything I dare say gets ignored or mocked. And with a visitor here? They'll take any opportunity to make me look stupid, so again, it's a fuck  _no_ from me." Blaire didn't even get to respond before he disappeared downstairs into the basement, with Robin sighing behind her, admittedly spooking her.  
  
"I see you've met my lovely, darling son," she sighed out, trying to smile in spite of her sarcasm. "He never joins us for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Sometimes I wonder if he even eats sometimes."  
  
"He seemed.. Nice enough, to me at least."  _You know, despite him cursing and being open about his disdain towards his family_ , Blaire thought. "He just looks to be the withdrawn type, is all."  
  
The ginger scoffed, walking with her towards the kitchen. " _Withdrawn_ is putting it nicely, Blaire. He's largely antisocial and barely leaves the house, save for twice a week to hang out with his friends. Which does make me happy, it does, but he'd rather be down there in his basement programming and coding than be outside. It's like pulling teeth trying to get him to go outside during spring or summer, save for at night when he goes out to smoke. I do wish he'd stop the habit, but he's an adult and pays rent, so as far as we're both concerned, he doesn't need to listen to me about it."  
  
Blaire tried to sympathize with Robin, she didn't have any kids, but her youngest sibling, Aaron, was definitely a mischievous rebel when he was in his teenage years. He refused to seek for help, and just groaned when Blaire or her father, or Heaven forbid  _Heather_ tried to speak to him about his behavior, and how it was unacceptable. Blaire and Aaron at least could bond over hating their stepmother and stepsister, Claire and Heather. But they did get along, she watched over him when their mother died and their father was going through a rough stage of their lives. So she couldn't totally blame him for being against their father's remarriage and acting out as a result, he was only 14 when their mom died. Maybe Sebastian just didn't like his stepfamily, but didn't want to make his mom upset by expressing his disdain so openly. Blaire certainly didn't want to make her father upset by telling him she hated Claire and stupid Heather for trying to control her by virtue of being older by  _six fucking months_ , so she kept quiet. Maybe this was Sebastian's rebellion as well.  
  
"Well, anyway, sorry about that, sweetie. Breakfast should be ready, the kitchen will just be on your right past the hallway." The raven nodded, walking past the doors in the hallway until she reached the entrance to the kitchen and dining room. A large, black man was cooking up what smelled like pancakes, turning to look at her. He gave a friendly smile, having an immediately welcoming disposition. "Ah, welcome! You must be Blaire, right? The new farmer?"  
  
She nodded. "That's me, new owner of Blackthorne Farm."  
  
"Well, welcome to our humble town, farmer! I'm Demetrius." He briefly looked away from the pan to shake her hand, which she did take. Awkwardly, but she took it. "Feel free to sit down. Robin invited you, right?"  
  
"Yeah, she was walking past my farm and invited me inside. I hope that's not a problem."  
  
"None at all. If anything, I hope you like blueberry pancakes." With how starved Blaire was, he could have presented her with week-old grits and she would have graciously accepted them like a gourmet dish.  
  
"Yeah, that sounds good to me!" Blaire heard a pair of footsteps, and at first she thought it was Robin coming in, but it was someone else. She looked exactly like how she'd picture Demetrius' daughter to look like, but with Robin's face shape and hair type. Who else was that supposed to be but Maru?   
  
"Hey dad, I just finished cleaning up the lab," she said, before her gaze fell onto the lumberjack-dressed farmer. "Hey, you must be the new farmer, right? It's so great to meet you! I'm Maru, I hope we can be friends!"  
  
Blaire smiled at her, giving a nod. "Yeah, sure! I don't really have any friends here, yet. It's nice to finally meet someone friendly and wanting to actually interact with me." She almost cringed remembering how.. uneventful her day yesterday was, with meeting unfriendly people and crying herself to sleep from being so tired. The city was nothing like this, and she wasn't sure whether she hated it yet or didn't mind it. She wasn't sure if she'd get used to not having perfect stiletto nails and gorgeous, beach waved-out hair. Then again, everyone here was kind of plain, too. Except for maybe Sebastian, he looked.. very handsome. Pretty, even, his face had nice features and he had a pretty decent amount of muscle from what she could see.  
  
There was something familiar about him, but Blaire couldn't quite pinpoint it. Maybe it was just weird déjà-vu.  
  
Once Robin entered their little space, they began to eat, and both Maru and Demetrius were incredibly welcoming and inviting. She even gave Demetrius permission to come to her farm to take a look at her crops whenever he wanted to, as he was an ecologist and loved to study the environment. He could give her pointers on what she was doing right and wrong, at the very least. Her parsnips had only just sprouted, but still, for the future when she began to plant more things on her farm. Blaire almost felt at home, but what Sebastian had said earlier kept ringing in her mind.  _I don't need to hear them praising each other every five seconds while anything I dare say gets ignored or mocked._ It bothered her more than she would have liked to admit, but it certainly wasn't her business what went on within the Moore family, so she wouldn't dare bring that up. She didn't even mention his absence, despite having met him in the hallway a few minutes ago. But she chose to quietly eat her pancakes, grateful that she finally had something to eat after not eating a crumb the previous day.  
  
Noon hit, and Blaire decided that she had enough of sitting around while there were things that needed to be done. So after she said goodbye, and Maru giving her the tightest hug ever, she exited the Moore household. The day was still bright, and she decided to take a walk before doing anything that was of any productivity. It was a nice day out, and luckily she didn't have allergies to worry about. So she walked down from the mountain, not bothering to say hello to anyone new that she might have seen. She was being a little cautious today as she made her way over the cobblestone bridge. Though when she was walking over said bridge, she smelled salt. But more like beach salt. The fact that there was a beach here was unknown to Blaire, but it excited her regardless. She loved the beach!  
  
She began a brisk pace towards the beach, though for some reason her luck today was bumping into every single living person she could find, because she bumped into  _somebody else_. Though instead of telling her off rudely, this person had quite kind, grabbing her by the shoulders gently to make sure she was alright. "Oh, my apologies! Are you alright?"  
  
When Blaire looked up, she was met with.. Prince Charming. That was absolutely his name and she was sticking to it until he introduced himself.  
  
"I.. I, yeah, I'm alright," she responded, looking down shyly. He had magnificent, long dark ginger hair, with a pair of striking emerald eyes. His features were gentle and yet strong, such as his prominent jawline. Even the way he dressed was like out of a story book, all dapper and formal, with a tie to finish him off. It was almost like love at first sight if Blaire didn't hate every single aspect of romance ever.  
  
"You must be new here, correct?" All she did was dumbly nod. "I'm Elliott, Elliott Lanzoni. I live on the cabin on the beach. Are you the new farmer I've heard about?"  
  
"Yeah, that's me. But, you can just call me Blaire, Elliott." He gave her a warm smile, letting her go after a while.  
  
"Well then, Blaire, you seem to be in a hurry, so I won't keep you. But I do hope to see you around some time!" With that, he began to turn and leave, and Blaire was in a trance. He was so polite and gentle and so unlike the other people she had met the previous day. He was.. so dreamy.  
  
But then Blaire remembered the beach, and she walked out to be greeted with a beautiful blue sea over white sand. Smelling the familiar smell of the ocean relaxed Blaire, and she sunk down to her knees to take in the sight.  
  
She stayed like that for longer than she would have liked to admit.  
  
Eventually she got back up, noticing a house on top of the pier. Elliott's cabin was right next to her, so who lived there? As Blaire walked onto the wooden pier and made her way towards the building, she noticed a man in a red shirt and straw hat fishing. He had a brown beard, and looked quite older than she was given his wrinkles and crow's feet.  
  
"Oh, hey there," he greeted after noticing her, reeling in his rod. "I'm Willy, new farmer. Did you get my letter?"   
  
Letter? Blaire did not check the mailbox that morning, so it was entirely plausible that he left something for her. "I.. did not, Willy."  
  
"Oh, no worries. I just wanted to be sure that you'd come to the beach. I just came back from a fishing trip yesterday, got settled back into my humble home here," he began, pointing to the house behind him that the raven noticed earlier. "Made enough money to purchase me a new rod," he said happily, casting the hook far out into the cerulean waters.   
  
"Since you're new here, and your crops are still growing, I wanted to gift ya this." The fisherman picked up the rod discarded next to him, handing it out to her. "This is my old rod, but it still works and will get the job done. Believe it or not, fishing out here is quite the lucrative business if I do say so myself. Plenty of rare fish reside here, since this is essentially a sanctuary from trappers n' poachers. Do ya know how to fish?"  
  
Blaire shook her head, but she did take the used rod from him. "No, but if it's as lucrative as you say, I wouldn't mind trying it out. Mind teaching me the basics before I accidentally.. I don't know, poke out someone's eye or hook my clothes to it?" Thankfully Willy found humor in that, and he nodded.   
  
"Sure. Ain't like anyone else here has an interest besides you, now. I could spend all day here."  
  
"Well, lead the way," she responded.

* * *

The two spent the rest of the afternoon fishing, and Blaire managed to catch some little fish like anchovies and sardines, but she did catch two sizable herrings while they were fishing out there! She got the hang of the rod, enough to where she could be by herself and go fishing without assistance or guidance from someone else. It made her feel better about herself now that she had another skill to help her live this life in Stardew Valley. It still didn't compare to the city, but she figured that if she gave it a year, she could decide if she wanted to leave or not.  
  
At the moment, she was content. Not ecstatic, nor depressed. But in a gray area of contentedness, especially so when she would wake up the next morning and find a good stack of gold waiting for her after selling her fish.

 


End file.
